US Airways announced that it will begin offering its passengers the convenience of prepaying to check their bags online at usairways.com. Customers who check in online at usairways.com with tickets booked starting today for flights on or after July 9 will have the option to prepay $15 for their first checked bag and $25 for their second checked bag. Web check-in is available within 24 hours of scheduled departure time. Passengers who choose to pay for checking their bags at the airport will be charged an additional $5 service fee per bag.

The baggage handling fees apply to all flights within the United States and to and from Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. The airline will continue to waive the checked-bag fees for the following customers:

- All Dividend Miles Preferred members (Silver, Gold, Platinum and Chairman's Preferred)
- Confirmed First Class and Envoy passengers at time of check-in
- Star Alliance Silver and Gold status members
- All trans-Atlantic flight customers
- Military personnel on active duty
- Unaccompanied minors
- Passengers checking assistive devices

The ability to prepay for checked bags online at usairways.com adds to the airline’s self-service convenience features including the ability to check flight status, process upgrades and Web check-in 24 hours prior to departure.

US Airways introduced its a la carte business model last summer. The airline expects to generate between $400 million and $500 million in ancillary revenue from its a la carte services, including checked bag fees, Choice Seats and Power-Nap Sacks.